Tan Manyu blurted out, “Aren’t you going to reconsider?”
Li Zhi smiled wryly, “How did it turn into you guys trying to convince me?”
Yao Mingfeng: “…”
Tan Manyu smiled awkwardly, “It’s just that you agreed so quickly, we really didn’t expect that.”
Li Zhi smiled warmly, “I have experience leading people.”
Just like she had led Chi Yi and the pink-haired one, leading anyone isn’t really that different. In fact, leading official personnel holds even more significance. The presence of these two made her realize that the government was taking action, and their intention to tackle the issue from within the instances aligned with her own thinking.
However, as a popular player now, every move she made within the instances was closely watched, which made it unsuitable for her to engage in any other activities. On the other hand, official players, who had neither fame nor presence, were perfectly suited for undercover investigations.
Li Zhi believed that with her current popularity, as long as the official personnel weren’t complete deadweights, frequent interaction with her would ensure they wouldn’t remain obscure. If she could bring up the pink-haired trio, she certainly could handle officially selected and trained talents.
Yao Mingfeng and Tan Manyu finally confirmed her stance. The previously serious expressions they’d had since entering the room now eased into faint smiles. Tan Manyu pulled out a pre-prepared team card from her pocket. “Thank you so much, Comrade Li Zhi. Let’s bind our team right away!”
Li Zhi wasn’t surprised that the person she was supposed to lead was Tan Manyu. She had guessed it from the moment they stated their purpose. As her brother Li Feng often said, the government never fought battles unprepared. Since they had come to her, everything must have been well-arranged.
After binding the team card, the two visibly relaxed. Players from across the country weren’t just these two completing this mission; after all, the government wouldn’t send just one player into the instance for investigation. However, the identities of the official players had to be kept confidential, so it was best to go one-on-one, and the players shouldn’t know each other.
There were quite a few star players like Li Zhi who had been approached by the government. But since some had refused, Yao Mingfeng and Tan Manyu had been so surprised by her quick acceptance.
With the task completed, Yao Mingfeng exhaled in relief but still asked in a serious tone, “Comrade Li Zhi, earlier you mentioned that someone was following you a few days ago. What was that about?”
Li Zhi told them about the incident at the mall. Yao Mingfeng pondered, “Recently, many organizations specializing in instance instance raids have sprung up around the world. They recruit talent globally and have gradually become a formidable force. You might have caught their attention.”
He thought for a moment before saying, “If you agree, we can arrange protection for your family. Or if you have any other requests, feel free to ask. As long as it doesn’t break any rules, we can accommodate you.”
Li Zhi had been worried about her mother and Shuang Shuang being home alone once she entered the instance. Yao Mingfeng’s offer was a timely solution to her immediate concern.
As for other requests…
She pointed to the team card in Tan Manyu’s hand, “Can I bring one more person?”
An hour later, White Hair, who had won rock-paper-scissors against Blond Hair, arrived excitedly at Li Zhi’s house. “Sister Zhi! From now on, you’re my only sister!”
After the binding, White Hair left happily. Yao Mingfeng and Tan Manyu discussed their instance cooperation plans with Li Zhi for a while longer before preparing to leave.
As she saw them out, Li Zhi hesitated but finally asked, “Have you already sent people into the instance?”
“Yes, we sent people in as soon as the live streams started.” Yao Mingfeng smiled bitterly, “But the results weren’t ideal. They had too many things to juggle.”
Moving from behind the scenes to the spotlight, under the scrutiny of millions of viewers, it wasn’t enough to just have individual strength.
Li Zhi thought of her brother, Li Feng, who had been called back. Was he also undergoing training before entering the instance?
Seeing her silence, Yao Mingfeng said gravely, “Comrade Li Zhi, don’t feel too much pressure. While we hope you can bring everyone out safely, we also understand how dangerous the instances are, and that accidents are beyond control. Just do your best—that will be enough. Having high-profile players lead people into the instance is just one part of the plan. We have other arrangements in place.”
Li Zhi recalled the organizations Yao Mingfeng mentioned that specialized in recruiting talent for instance raids. “Are you planning to form a national team?”
Yao Mingfeng was surprised by her sharp insight. After a moment of thought, he said, “Yes, entering the instances will be the trend in the future. Whether it’s understanding the instances, gaining experience to clear them, or acquiring items beyond the current level of technology, we can’t afford to fall behind. We are currently training such talents and will send them into the instances for investigation gradually.”
This was a new battlefield. And where there’s a battlefield, there are loyal warriors.
“We can work together long-term. I can cover for your people, allowing them to investigate secretly without getting eliminated or drawing the audience’s attention,” Li Zhi looked at him, “but I have one condition.”
Both Yao Mingfeng and Tan Manyu became serious. “Name it.”
Li Zhi said, “I want to share all the investigation results you have on the [Ghost] system.”
Yao Mingfeng pondered for a moment. “That’s not something I can decide. How about this: I’ll go back and ask for approval from my superiors. By the time you come out of this instance, I should have an answer for you.”
Li Zhi smiled, “Alright.”
Everything was set, and by the next afternoon, even Lian Qinglin’s entry time had arrived as scheduled. He sensed it half an hour in advance and quickly notified the others. They were well-prepared this time, and Li Zhi even had time to take a quick shower.
After a familiar sensation of teleportation, Li Zhi found herself on an old school playground.
The golden rays of the setting sun cast a warm glow on the red rubber track, and the thick, unpleasant smell of cheap plastic filled the air. On either side of the playground were typical school structures: a pair of parallel bars, a ping-pong table, and a small basketball court.
It seemed that this instance was related to a school setting.
While Li Zhi was surveying the school environment, a pink-haired and a white-haired figure emerged excitedly from the greenery at the edge of the playground, waving at her.
“Sister Zhi! We’re here!”
As the two ran closer, Li Zhi looked at their hair for a moment and remarked candidly, “This instance might be rough for you two.”
The pink-haired and white-haired guys froze mid-excitement, suddenly becoming nervous. “Why?”
Li Zhi pointed around them, “This is a school instance. With those hair colors, you might be in trouble with the discipline office.”
The two of them collapsed, holding their heads in dismay.
They hadn’t changed their hair color because it had been quite popular in their previous instance. To maintain this strong individual feature for their audience, they had decided to keep their distinct styles. Who could have predicted this instance would have a school theme!
Pink Hair lamented, “Is there a Tony (hairstylist) in the instance? Maybe I should dye my hair before we do the tasks?”
Just as they were talking, Lian Qinglin ran over from the basketball court. “Sister Zhi!”
He saw the pink and white-haired duo and smirked mischievously, “You guys are done for, you’re going to be made an example of at school!”
Pink/White-haired duo: “…”
The four gathered together, and the viewers who had subscribed received a notification that the players had started their livestreams, flooding into the chat:
【Li Zhi! Roar Roar! Li Zhi! Hey Ho! Li Zhi! Ho Ho!】
【Wow! This time it’s a school instance! As a fan of school horror, I’m so into this!】
【OMG, I never thought I’d live to see Lian Qinglin and Milky Way members together! There were rumors they had a falling out after the group disbanded, but this doesn’t seem like that at all!】
【As an MK fan, I’m ecstatic!!! We never got the promised reality show before disbandment, so I’ll treat this horror reality show as the group’s comeback!】
【After Li Zhi finished leading Chi Yi, now she’s leading Lian Qinglin. Does that mean next time it’s Film Emperor Zhu’s turn? You guys are trying to stir up group loyalty in that village corpse instance, aren’t you?】
【Lian Qinglin’s leg looks perfectly fine. That limb regeneration item is insane. I saw him cut off his leg right at the thigh with my own eyes.】
【I just love watching familiar faces. Go, Li Zhi and Little Qing!】
Other players began appearing one after another. As Li Zhi had instructed beforehand, Lian Qinglin and the others pretended not to know they were actually part of a five-person team. Tan Manyu, also following the plan, stood off to the side, acting like a solo player who had entered the instance independently. All of this had been discussed and arranged before they entered the instance.
Seeing Li Zhi and Lian Qinglin in the group, everyone’s expressions grew more animated. Being in the same instance with high-profile players had both advantages and disadvantages—clearing the instance became easier, but the competition for popularity and the MVP title became more intense.
Li Zhi scanned the players entering the instance, a total of fifteen people, the largest number she’d encountered in any instance so far. According to analysis on the Horror Variety Show forums, the more players there were, the higher the instance’s difficulty. If that rule held, this instance would be more dangerous than any she’d faced before.
Her gaze was calm, indistinguishable from anyone else’s. She sized up the group and then casually looked away.
Among the crowd, a man wearing a leather jacket, standing tall with a vibrant, confident demeanor, took the initiative to speak. “It’s fate that we’re all in the same instance. My name is Zhou Jianzhang, I used to be a PE teacher. Since this instance has a school theme, why don’t I take the lead as the captain?”
A PE teacher, fitting for a school-themed instance.
After he finished speaking, the group exchanged glances. Someone sneered, “There are players in the top 100 of the global rankings here. I don’t think a PE teacher should be the one leading the team, right?”
As soon as this was said, everyone looked toward Li Zhi and Lian Qinglin.
The only two players in the top 100 of the global leaderboard in the group were the two of them.
Zhou Jianzhang looked a bit embarrassed but quickly responded, “That’s fine too, but the team still needs a leader to avoid chaos.”
His appearance and demeanor were righteous, and his words were reasonable. Soon, someone chimed in to support him, “Teacher Zhou is a good choice, he can be the captain.”
Lian Qinglin shrugged indifferently, “If Teacher Zhou wants to be the captain, let him. Doesn’t matter to me.”
He then turned to Li Zhi, “Right, Sister Zhi?”
Li Zhi smiled and nodded, “Yes, Teacher Zhou is a good choice for captain.”
Since the top players had no objections, the others followed suit. Zhou Jianzhang, clearly pleased, said, “Let’s head over to the classroom building. The task should probably start there.”
No sooner had he spoken than the sharp sound of the school bell rang out.
—Ding-ling-ling.
—Ding-ling-ling.
Suddenly, a crowd of students rushed out from the dormitory building across the field, all running toward the classroom building. Some students ran past them, urging, “What are you all standing around for? It’s time for evening self-study! Hurry up!”
The players exchanged glances, and Zhou Jianzhang was the first to follow. “Let’s go.”
They followed the student, the harsh sound of the bell echoing as they ran toward the classroom building. Before entering the classroom, Li Zhi glanced at the door plaque, which read Class 2, Senior Year.
The classroom was almost identical to those in the players’ memories. It was already full of students, and the players found seats near the window with name tags stuck on the desks.
Li Zhi found her seat and sat down. The name tag in the upper-right corner of her desk felt like plastic. Below her name, there was a “score,” but for now, the space beside it was blank.